“But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was suddenly gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, and they are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are Romans.” The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…” (Acts 16:19-25 NASB)
Once again, here is a “Monday Short” meditation. I pray it is helpful to you either at this present moment or in the future when life has you imprisoned.
Last Thursday afternoon I received a call a long-time friend, an inmate who regrets what imprisoned him, locked up in a state prison, reformed but regulated to serving out his sentence, still reached out to serve God. See what I mean by reading on.
He did not call looking for comfort, counsel, or conciliation. It was just the opposite. He had gotten word of one of our Deacons passing away a couple of weeks ago, and he called to provide me, the pastor, with comfort by means of his words, called to counsel me on the inevitability of death for all people, and finally, called to share brief words of conciliation, reminding me that all believers who have reconciled with God through a faith in Christ Jesus, that to die is to live. Imprisoned, literally, he still took the initiative to stay on the course God had set before Him. His action emphasized a truth we should all adhere to, “Even when life has you imprisoned…continue the course.”
The two passages that I have provided you with today, above and below, are very good examples, biblical excerpts that reinforce this truth. Check it out. Paul and Silas, were singing songs of praise in a Philippian jail, and the other prisoners were listening. They did not let their imprisonment, deep in the inner prison, keep them from continuing the course that God had set before them, even when life had imprisoned them.
Of course the epitome of truth, is from One who is the Truth, Jesus the Christ. Jesus was bound and held as a prisoner, treated severely wrong, but nothing was done to Him to keep Him from continuing the course that the Father had set before Him. Even when life had Him imprisoned, He endured in obedience to the will of the Father. He died for us, not in accordance with the purpose Caiaphas had in mind, but He died with God’s purpose in mind, to save us from the penalty of sin, which is death.
Whenever you feel imprisoned by life’s circumstances; when bound by economic difficulty, chained by a fight against disease, disaster, or depression, when confined by conditions you would rather not be facing, or trapped in the consequences you brought on yourself, you should follow the same truth. “Even when life has you imprisoned…continue the course.”
Have a magnificent Monday and may the Lord bless you, keep you, and use you! Be blessed!
“So the Roman cohort, the commander, and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, and brought Him to Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people.” (John 18:12-14)
Mark L. King